The Washington critic., 1887-12-02
WASHINGTON, DEC. ?. 1887.
THE POSTAL SERVICE.

1hE PtSTAb SEkNitE'
The report of Postmaster. General
Villas Is document of unusual interest,
for the reason that at this distance from
the incoming Of the present Admins.
tratlon he is enabled to place before the
public an official record wholly his
own--an ample attestatlon of the ell
cheney and success with which he has
discharged most important trust.
lie has now entered upon the last
quarter Of the Third year Of his in.
cumbcucy of the olllGe-llme enough
Tor him to have thoroughly mastered
the minuttst details Of the Department,
TO have insugutaled such reforms rs
lay within his province, and to have
stamped with his vigorous personality
every branch of the service.
The report will be no less gratifying
10 the county than It is creditablc to
the Postmastel General. 1t shows that
the vast machiuery which he directs,
covering the entire Union with It's ram.
iiicaiions md entering into nearly every
household of the lnnd, more closely
related TO the Individual interests of
the people than any other branch of
the Government and largely dependent
for It's value upon the accuracy of it,
movements, has been operated with no
appreciable friction aud with degree
of regularity and promptness that
seems almost phenomenal.
Expectations that have hitherto
been INDUCED in are now in fair
way of realization, and we are as
sured that the time has now ar.
rived when estimating postages upon
the mall matter of the Government at
$4,000, 900 annually and In the nature Of
debt to the postal service, the Depart.
ment may be considered substantially
self.sustaining, while the prediction is
made that unless some radical change
occurs in existing conditions to crippl,
the current revenues, the next fiscal
year will see balance 10 Its credit.
These are results Of great moment
achievements that while they naturally
follow upon the increasing population
and business of the country, are due In
great measure to sagacity In methods,
to energy In execution and to economy
in expenditure.
Gratifying as this exhibit is, how.
ever, Mr.. Villas does not think It wise
10 encourage the hope that an imme.
diate reduction in letter postage would
be advisable, inasmuch as 1.-The com.
bined receipts from all mail matter not
Of tie first class fall far short OF the
cost Of its handling, airordlng little
claim, therefore, for less postage
charges" especially as the letter rate
is already lower than that of all other
countries with one exception. But the
time Is not far distant when the present
charge of two cents may properly be
lowered TO one cent.
That part OF the report relating to
advertising imprints upon the enve
lopts and wrappers of third and fourth
class parcels will be peculiarly accept.
able to the business community. The
Postmaster General Is decidedly op'
posed to the existing statute by which
such exterior marks are inhibited, and
can see no reason why Congress should
not remove the prohibition as to al
advertising and printing of the char
acter indicated which is not In tn,
nature of correspondence, as 1t adds NJ
burden to the mails and probably In
creases the quantity Of mail matte
dispatched.
The report contains various othe
recommendation and points that ren
der 1t Of interest and to which furthe
reference will be made as the nev
postal questions suggested come up TO
legislative action.
THERE were only 1900 foreigner
imported into this country during tn
month of October and only 454, 900 TO
the ten months up to November /. l
might have been considerably NOR
than this, but 1t is as well perhaps tina
1t Is not. 1t would be comforting a
least to feel that no immigrants wer
landed upon our shores who had not II
them the elements Of speedy develop
ment into good citizens, backed wit
the pecuniary capital to establish them
selves at once in some reputable voca
tlon. We have laws, 1t is true, restrict
Ing and controlling immigration, but
requires no more than an hour or tw
of inspection at Castle Garden TO CON
viuce the most skeptlcal that In opon
ing our doors to an indlscrlmlnate I'm
portation of new citizens we are In
viting certain classes as dangerous t.
the National prosperity as ever wer
the Goths aud Vandals who swep
down upon Rome. Our legislators ap
pear to be afraid of applying the relief 1
their power, but If they will make du
inquiry they will discover that thei
strongest support In such leglslatlo
will come from the foreign citizen
hemselves-those who have becom
thoroughly Americanized and ldentifie
with republican institutions. Non
know better than these the characte
OF the dregs and offscourings OF Euro
pean crime, conspiracy and paupersu
The times are certainly rife for the al
plication OF wholesome res,rictlv
remedies, and the party that adopts
truly American policy 10 this respet
will more than any other command th
confidence of the country.
SUPPOSE DR.. Joseph Parker dl
pocket 800 for his Beecher eulogy,
is not In good form for the Plymout
Church people to make such poo